LANDSCAPE gardening business Scenic Blue has won the prestigious title of Landscape Contractor of the Year at the inaugural Horticulture Week Awards in London.

The company, based at The Pastures, in Great Ouseburn, near York, was praised by the judges for "revolutionising landscape contracting".

They also said that Scenic Blue had "effectively demonstrated excellence and achieved quantifiable success in one or more areas, such as business management and improving turnover", and they were impressed with the quality and range of projects the firm had undertaken.

Set up in 1998 by Judy and Ted Behl, Scenic Blue trades via a network of franchise owners and currently operates 38 franchises in the UK. Its group turnover for 2005 is expected to be £5 million.

Updated: 11:17 Thursday, November 03, 2005